


The Princess and the Royal Wizard

by cellular



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Elena of Avalor (Cartoon), Sofia the First (Cartoon)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Kinda not slow burn, Romantic Fluff, Slow Burn, lots of self-indulgent tropes, more like a jogging pace burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:13:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29139834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cellular/pseuds/cellular
Summary: He was taller, so much so that his head had to tilt downwards to look into her face, and his shoulders were broader, from what she could see under the drapes of his hooded robes. A scruff had formed on his face, outlining a more sharp and angled jawline. His hair was longer, too, not only hanging over his forehead but brushing past his ears and the sides of cheeks.But the curls were unmistakable, and his eyes were the same swirling hazel, still warm and kind after all these years.All these years that he was supposed to be dead.--An AU where Shuriki came back with the Scepter of Night, killing Mateo and Elena's grandparents before taking over Avalor. Except Mateo didn't actually die. Six years later, Elena and what is left of her family and friends has been leading a stalemate rebellion under Shuriki's rule. But she's too strong, too powerful, too much for the magicless Princess Elena. As morale dwindles in the hearts of Avalorians, their Royal Wizard comes back from the dead, so different than when Elena last saw him. The boy, who is more man than she ever remembered, brings with him a new hope, fire, and love that might just bring an end to Shuriki's rule.
Relationships: Mateo de Alva/Elena Castillo Flores
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i found these chapters in my old files, written when i was 17 years old (almost 4 years ago!!). a lot of this is trashy and kind of cringey, but i did find myself enjoying it a lot when i was rereading it. go 17 year old me!! it was originally inspired by this fanart by lovelyrugbee on tumblr (she is my absolute favorite fanartist of all time i am in love): https://lovelyrugbee.tumblr.com/post/172441626948/he-reminds-me-a-lot-of-elena-began-to-think-but which in turn was inspired by the fic https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12680508/1/ haha.
> 
> i haven't watched elena of avalor for years now, but i think i'll rewatch the whole thing on disney+ when i get the chance. now, without further ado, have some unfinished, selfindulgent, canon divergent fanfic where elena and mateo are reunited six years after mateo's supposed death, where esteban stays true to his family, and where they must take back avalor from shuriki's rule.

He was taller, so much so that his head had to tilt downwards to look into her face, and his shoulders were broader, from what she could see under the drapes of his hooded robes. A scruff had formed on his face, outlining a more sharp and angled jawline. His hair was longer, too, not only hanging over his forehead but brushing past his ears and the sides of cheeks.

But the curls were unmistakable, and his eyes were the same swirling hazel, still warm and kind after all these years. 

_All these years that he was supposed to be dead._

Elena stepped back, only to fall against the hard wall behind her. She blinked once, twice, and a third time, but he was still standing there, breathing heavily from the battle they had just fought with Shuriki’s men. 

“Mateo,” she finally whispered, a terrifying hope erupting in her.

“Elena.” His voice was deeper, but not completely unrecognizable from the way her name fell so easily from his lips. “ _Gods_ , I’ve missed you.”

Elena let out a sob as tears began to blur her vision. She threw her arms around his body, pulling him down into a solid embrace. He immediately tugged her tightly against his chest, running a hand through her hair as she tucked her head into his neck. He smelled of fire, of smokey magic, of a memory she never thought she’d experience again. They stayed that way for a small moment, silent as their hearts beat heavily together, uneven breaths filling the air. 

“How? I thought… We all thought you were dead,” she murmured, squeezing him tightly as her tears streamed freely down her cheeks.

“I’m not,” he whispered against the shell of her ear. “I’m here. I’m back.”

“But _how_?”

Mateo let out a soft laugh and pulled away, holding Elena’s shoulders in his hands. He paused, and as a second thought, raised his fingers to gently wipe away the tears on her cheeks. Elena’s shaky breath hitched in her throat. “I’ll explain later, but first, we have to get out of here.” 

He was right. Down the street, Elena could hear more of Shuriki’s men thundering towards their general area, looking for the culprits who had given their ranks so much trouble. She knew they had to run, had to leave before the reinforcements found them, but she stayed rooted in that alleyway, refusing to break eye contact with the boy who was supposed to be dead.

“ _Six years_ , Mateo. You’ve been dead for _six years._ How? Where have you been?” 

“Elena, I promise I’ll tell you everything, but I can’t explain if we’ve both been killed by Shuriki’s men.”

Elena opened her mouth to protest, but Mateo grabbed her hand, pulling her out into the street, where the moon eerily illuminated the battleground they had just fought. The various weaponry scattered across the stone along with the unconscious bodies that wielded them just minutes before. Mateo’s hand tightly gripped hers as he ran across the street, not pausing once to take in the scenery.

They sprinted away as the sounds of Shuriki’s men grew louder, winding through the streets of Avalor until they reached the edges of the city, where they could no longer hear the antagonizing shouts and taunts aimed at them. Mateo slowed down then, allowing a moment for the two to catch their breaths before moving on into the Avalorian forest. It was only there, in the quiet trees of the dark woods that Elena noticed the way Mateo winced as he shifted his body to step forwards. 

“Are you hurt?” she questioned, pulling at his hand for him to stop.

Mateo shook his head, but she could see the grimace that stretched his features. “I’ll be okay. We can deal with it once we get to my campsite.”

He squeezed her hand and let it go, making Elena suddenly miss the warmth of his grasp as the two moved forward into the night.

  
\---♛---

It had been _six years_ since the day Shuriki came back with more power than ever before, _six years_ since the day Elena and her family had been stripped of their rule, forced into hiding in their own kingdom, _six years_ since the day Mateo had been killed protecting Elena. 

Shuriki had chosen to attack on one of the most hectic days of the year. Preparations for Elena’s eighteenth birthday and coronation were in full swing. The castle bustled with energy, and the whole kingdom was ready to celebrate and wish the princess the best. 

Thinking back, Elena could honestly say that there was nothing anyone could have done. 

No one had expected Shuriki, and no one expected the power that she had regained nor the new allies that she had made. She was strong as she wielded her newfound Scepter of Night, bringing destruction and chaos to Avalor. Elena, her family, her friends, her _people_ fought back for hours to no avail. In the end, Shuriki took Elena’s Scepter of Light and targeted her Royal Wizard, _her Mateo_. In the battle, Mateo had been struck right before Elena’s eyes, dark magic surrounding him in angry wisps. 

“ _No!_ ” Elena had yelled as Mateo’s body flew across the castle floor. “ _Mateo!_ ”

Shuriki laughed and stepped towards Elena, gripping both scepters in each hand. 

“Your darling Royal Wizard is gone, princess,” she said, grinning down at her. “ _Dead_. Not that his magic rivaled mine, anyway, but you could never be too sure.”

Elena tore her eyes away from Mateo’s body and grit her teeth. “You won’t get away with another reign, Shuriki. The other kingdoms won’t let you. The whole world knows who you are and what you’ve done.”

Shuriki smirked, absentmindedly waving her wand towards the princess. “Oh, trust me. The other kingdoms will have more than enough to worry about. Avalor won’t even _be_ on their minds.” 

“What did you do, Shuriki?” Elena demanded.

“Don’t worry, princess. It’s not your problem anymore,” Shuriki responded. “Now, since we had such a _civilized_ conversation, I’ll give you a head start. You have ten seconds to run, Elena, before you meet your parents’ fate.”

Elena hated it, hated the fact that she was running. But what more could she do? She was no good to Avalor dead.

“Come on, Elena! You can run faster than that!” Shuriki taunted as a dark blast flew across her shoulder. 

She rounded a corner, slipping into a closet and gently closing the door. Her breaths were heavy as she heard Shuriki pound past the door, yelling her name. She waited until she could no longer hear the witch’s screams before she slumped against the wall, allowing herself to breathe for just a moment. 

Elena hated the fact that she was hiding, too.

But that’s what she had been doing the past six years. _Hiding_. Soon after pulling herself out of that closet, Elena found Isabel, Esteban, Naomi, and Gabe. All were weary and tired after their defeat, angry and vengeful at what had been taken from them. It was then that she discovered that her grandparents had also been murdered by Shuriki. 

Elena cried for days. She cried for her _abuelos_. She cried for Mateo. She cried for Avalor.

Those were the days that Elena felt the most helpless, when she felt she should just give up. Shuriki was too powerful and had too many people on her side. She expertly wielded the Scepter of Night, threatening all with her power and wrath. She had wreaked havoc across the nations so that no one could send reinforcements. She had taken the most important people from Elena, and they could do nothing with only the five of them. 

But, in the darkest times, the bravest arose for her. The people of Avalor wanted their land back, and they wanted their princess back. One by one, Avalorians approached their hideout, offering their help. Elena sent word to Princess Sofia, telling her of her kingdom’s plight and asking her to send help as soon as Enchancia was able to. The message wasn’t able to reach her until a year later, and her reply didn’t arrive until a year after that. Still, little by little, Elena’s rebellion grew right under Shuriki’s nose. 

Elena and her rebellion began to chip away at Shuriki’s rule. Stealing shipments of resources, sabotaging her followers’ missions. Little things that wasted her energy and distracted her from the bigger picture. 

That was what they’d been doing for the past six years. _Hiding_ , yes, also planning and building up, to one day take back the throne and ultimately end Shuriki. To avenge Elena’s _abuelos_ and to avenge Mateo. _To avenge Avalor._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 17 year old me really said "let's play how many tropes we can fit into one chapter" lolol   
> also there's a lot of explanation and world building in this chapter that i like. it's setting up a lot of potential that i'm not sure 21 year old me (who is tired and less imaginative and honestly less skilled) can live up to, but i will try :>

Mateo’s campsite was by a stream, not too far into the forest. The moon’s light was sparse through the canopy of leaves, but Elena could make out a small tent and a fire pit as well as the stretch of a fallen tree. Mateo sat down on the wood, and he immediately let out a hiss of pain.

“Are you okay?” Elena asked, stepping forwards.

“I’ll be fine,” he said, shifting to remove a sheathed sword that hung from his red robes. Elena hadn’t noticed it before. Since when did Mateo carry a sword? “One of them got too close from behind me and grazed my side earlier. It’s not deep.”

Despite his words, Mateo grunted in pain as he pulled his outer layer over his head. As he turned to drape it over the log, Elena was able to see the dark crimson that soaked his white undershirt. 

“Oh, Mateo,” she whispered, approaching closer. 

He followed her gaze to the wet blood that spread across his side. He cursed under his breath before shifting to remove that layer, too. Despite the situation, Elena instinctively averted her eyes, feeling a warm blush heat up her face.

Mateo flinched as he laughed. “I’m sorry to be indecent in front of a princess.” 

“Oh, you haven’t heard?” Elena asked with a bite of sarcasm. “I’m not a princess anymore.”

Mateo laughed again as he used his tamborita to light up the fire pit in front of him. He set the instrument back down against the log before standing up with a grunt and stepping towards the stream. She followed, trying to keep her eyes from the moving muscles of his back, focusing instead on the glistening red on his side. He sat down next to the flowing creek, and Elena followed suit, watching as he removed his boots to submerge his feet into the cool water. He began to crouch down, wincing as he wrung out the blood in his shirt. 

“Here, let me,” Elena said as she took the stained piece of clothing from his grasps, ignoring the shiver that ran down her spine when his fingers brushed hers. 

Elena twisted the shirt in the stream, watching as the red became a pale pink. She let it soak up the water before raising it out and turning towards Mateo. She met his gaze and shifted closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“This might hurt,” she murmured before shifting her eyes down and carefully pressing his side with the wet cloth. 

Elena’s heart was racing, her body’s senses heightening. She could hear each breath he took, see the gentle rising of his chest, feel the heat radiating from his body, smell the scent of simmering magic mingling with warm blood. She tried to focus on cleaning the blood off of Mateo, gently skimming across the bare planes of his skin. He had changed, that much was apparent in his broadened shoulders and hardened arms. What had he been doing these past six years? A little over half a decade had turned the scrawny wizard boy she once knew into… 

Mateo flinched as she grazed his wound. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, flicking her eyes up to his face. 

“Don’t apologize,” he said, giving her a soft smile. “Thank you.”

Elena ducked her head to hide her blush as she continued her task. “So, are you going to tell me how you didn’t die? And where you’ve been the past six years?”

Mateo sighed, closing his eyes before he leaned back onto his palms. Elena ignored the way his new position exposed the hardened lines of his muscled torso. 

“I did die that day, temporarily, at least. I was testing out a new potion earlier in the morning, a protectant against dark magic. It worked, apparently, but it left me in a coma for days. By the time I’d woken up, Shuriki had me transported to the Kingdom of Khaldoun to have my body preserved.”

Elena made a face at that. “Why would she do that?”

“You don’t know?” Mateo glanced at her, winking. “A wizard’s body is quite desirable.”

She gaped at him before coughing, shifting her eyes to the trees behind him.  _ Mateo’s body wasn’t the only thing that changed _ , she thought. But upon realizing his actions, he nervously laughed and cleared his throat as a deep red bloomed across his face.

“Ah, uh, I mean…” He began to rub the back of his neck. “What I mean is, parts of a wizard’s body can be used to amplify the magic of others or be used in potions and spells. Some believe a bone or finger can be good luck charms, and I’ve even heard something about a wizard’s liver elongating a person’s life by thirty years if cooked a certain way.”

“That’s… disgusting.” Elena wrinkled her nose and shifted to wring Mateo’s shirt in the stream before turning back to him, continuing to clean the wound. He hissed as she gently rubbed the cold cloth against the gash. 

“I woke up in the middle of the desert, in a cart pulled by camels on my way to be embalmed. I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but you can, uh, imagine the surprise of the guys taking me. Luckily they weren’t direct followers of Shuriki, just paid hands, but they assumed I was a stowaway who got rid of the original body. They left me there, alone surrounded by miles and miles of sand. I barely survived.”

Elena twisted Mateo’s shirt one last time in the creek before setting it down beside them. 

“Barely surviving. That’s a common theme for us, isn’t it?”

Mateo hummed in agreement and stood up, heading toward his tent. He ducked in with a groan and emerged with a wad of bandages in his hand. He cocked his head towards the fire, and Elena rose to join him on the fallen tree. Taking the bandage from his hands, she grazed his fingers again, feeling that same shiver run down her spine. 

“How did you get out of there?” she asked, beginning to wrap the gauze around his torso. She was so close to his chest that her breaths tickled his bare skin, that her ears could almost pick up the steady beats of his heart. Or was that her own, thumping so loudly that she could barely even hear her own voice?

Mateo swallowed, his eyes carefully watching Elena as she worked. “I was already dehydrated from being unconscious for so long. I don’t think I made it an hour without collapsing, but I was lucky. The embalmers those paid hands were supposed to bring me to? They had gone to look for their delivery, and they found it. They took me in, nursed me back to health.”

“How kind of them,” Elena remarked as she finished dressing Mateo’s wound and slowly sat back. She was strangely reluctant to be rid of his proximity.

Mateo laughed. “If they’d known I was more than just a lost stranger, they wouldn’t have been so kind. The embalmers Shuriki had hired were…  _ magic enthusiasts _ . They told me what a loss the wizard’s body was to them, that Shuriki had promised them my left arm for their collection. They were a bit slow, now that I think about it. A strange Avalorian shows up in the middle of the desert right after their Avalorian wizard went missing? You’d think it would ring some warning bells in their head.”

Elena laughed. “So they never found out? You just left?”

Mateo nodded.

“I stayed there for a few days while I regained my health, scared the whole way through that they would find me out. They were terrifying, Elena. I don’t think they would have hesitated to kill me if they knew who I was. They kept bodies of fairies and mermaid tails and unicorn horns. They  _ hunted _ and collected. They even had a tamborita.” Mateo patted the instrument that laid beside him. “This one. It was broken and took me three years to fix, but I snatched it before they sent me off. From there, I went to a merchant town and heard of everything that was beginning to happen. Elena, do you know what’s been going on these past six years? What Shuriki has started outside of Avalor?”

Elena furrowed her eyebrows. “Not the details. It’s hard for news to come in and out of Avalor. Letters, people… it’s nearly impossible. The trading boats are thoroughly checked, and foreign sailors aren’t allowed to speak with Avalorians. It took a year for my message to Princess Sofia to arrive and another year for her reply to come back. She didn’t say much, only that she would send help as soon as she could and something about... a war?” 

Mateo nodded, letting out a weary sigh. “Shuriki started a war. It’s impossible to travel, and expensive, too. I had no money and no magic, and as the war grew worse, travelling only became more difficult. I had to work my way across the kingdoms. I took various jobs, working on farms for food and a place to sleep or packing up ships for passage across small seas. I was a soldier at one point, too, for Corinthia. I’m pretty sure I’m still wanted by them for desertion.”

Elena cracked a smile at that, but it quickly faded as questions bombarded her mind. “Who is Corinthia fighting? How bad is the war?”

“All of the major kingdoms are involved, and most of the smaller ones as well. It started off with some trading disagreements, then territorial disputes, and then a couple of assassinations. The kingdoms took sides, and they’ve been at it for nearly as long as I’ve been gone. New weapons are being created, science mixed with magic. The kingdoms are destroying each other. I think Shuriki has the kings and queens under some spell, something that makes them easy to anger or impulsive or _something_.”

Elena frowned as Mateo continued. “Either way, it’s more than just us, more than just Avalor. The whole world needs saving, Elena.”

\---♛---

Mateo had put on a new shirt, along with his red robes, and Elena didn’t know whether she was glad or disappointed for it. She didn’t let the thought dwell too long in her head, though. The night’s events had exhausted her, physically and mentally, and she didn’t know if she had the strength to drag herself out of the woods and back to her own shelter.

“You’re welcome to stay here tonight,” Mateo said, as if he had read her mind.

Elena flashed her eyes to the canvas on the other side of the campfire.

“It’s, uh, it’s a nice night tonight,” he continued, noticing the direction of her glance. “You can take the tent, and I’ll sleep next to the fire. Unless… unless you  _ wanted _ to snuggle up with me.”

Elena gaped at him again, letting out a disbelieving splutter as her cheeks heated up at the thought of his suggestion. Unlike before, Mateo didn’t seem to take back his words, only continuing his flirting with a mischievous smile. After a short pause (that felt too long to her) Elena shook her head and laughed. She didn’t know how to feel about Mateo’s personality changes, but she did know that she was grateful he was here, that he was alive. That was what mattered. 

They headed to bed, with Elena in the small tent and Mateo on the forest floor with a satchel supporting his head. As tired and exhausted as she was, though, Elena couldn’t sleep. Not when she was laying on the cloths that Mateo had previously been sleeping on, surrounded by the smell of someone that, only hours ago, she thought was dead. Not when the boy in question laid only a few feet away. Not when she knew he had grown up without her, becoming something more of a man than a boy.

Despite the warmth of the night, Elena shivered and tucked herself deeper into the soft blankets. She couldn’t stay like this, twisting and turning as the night wasted away. She learned early on that she couldn’t lead a rebellion without adequate sleep. But her thoughts and worries wracked her mind like they hadn’t since the beginning of Shuriki’s new reign. She didn’t know how long she laid there, blinking at the dark before a rustle sounded just outside of the tent. 

Elena sat up straight, alert and ready as the hairs on her neck stood up. “Mateo?”

“Sorry, it’s just me,” he said, his head sticking between the flaps of the tent’s opening.

Her shoulders relaxed as she let out a sigh of relief. “Is everything okay?”

“No, I mean, yes, but…” Mateo paused before hesitantly opening his mouth again. “I, uh, I know I was joking before, but I can’t really… I mean I’ve slept in worse conditions, but I’ve been tossing and turning all night, and I just thought that  _ maybe _ it would help if I wasn’t sleeping on the ground outside?”

And so, after a short pause, a quiet agreement, and some awkward rustling, they ended up pressed against each other in the small space, Mateo’s arm gently wrapped around her side. Elena couldn’t believe that this was happening, that Mateo, who she thought was dead just earlier this morning, was pressed against her back, snoring lightly in her ear. She tilted her head up and stared at him, at the way the moon illuminated his hair and framed the structures of his face. Mateo was handsome before, back when they were seventeen, but, even through his struggle back to Avalor, through the hardships and challenges he had to face, he had still managed to pleasantly age into his features. 

Elena blushed and turned back around, squeezing her eyes shut and willing her heart to calm down.  _ Damn it _ , how did he expect her to sleep like this? And how had he fallen asleep so quickly when she couldn’t get the fact that he was  _ so close _ out of her mind? 

Elena had the sudden thought that maybe Mateo was used to falling asleep with girls in his arms, and she couldn’t help but feel a strange surge of jealousy run through her. Who knows how much Mateo had changed, how many experiences, good or bad, might’ve strayed him from being the young, rambling, and easily excitable Mateo that she knew and loved?

Right.

Time to sleep, Elena.

Elena allowed herself to sink back into Mateo’s chest, melting into his solid warmth, feeling the gentle inhales and exhales of his body against her back. She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes before absentmindedly moving her hand to place over Mateo’s. She found her thumbs drawing small circles on his calloused skin as she slowly slipped into sleep.

No more questions, no more worries.

Just Mateo.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a lil warning for sexual insinuations up ahead haha

There are certain things that a lady should not be acquainted with in the morning, much less a  _ princess _ , a ruler, a leader of her people.

But one of those certain things was pressed against the small of Elena’s back now, courtesy of its panicked owner, Mateo de Alvas, whose body was curled up around her, whose heart beat so fast at this sudden realization that he was sure that it would wake Elena up. 

He silently cursed, his mind scrambling for ways to quietly remove himself from the situation without Elena knowing. Slowly, he slid his arm from where it was tucked underneath Elena’s. She mumbled in her sleep in response before she burrowed herself further into him, eyes still closed. Mateo hissed in surprise, jolts of electricity running into his gut. He took a moment, making sure that she was still asleep before moving slowly again, inching away from her body.

Finally, Mateo took a slow breath as he rose to his feet. He gently lifted the flap of the tent, stepping out into the cool morning air.

What was he thinking last night? He hadn’t seen Elena for  _ years _ , hadn’t hugged her, hadn’t talked to her, hadn’t been by her side for what seemed like forever, and his sleep deprived mind decided that  _ this  _ was the moment to overstep boundaries.

But even Mateo knew that these moments between his best friend and him would be awkward, a time of learning and testing invisible barriers. Elena had lived with the fact that Mateo was dead for six years as he grew and changed in all the hardships that he faced in a war stricken world. And for six years, Mateo fought with the idea that Elena might be dead because he failed to protect her while she lived in her once beloved kingdom that now hunted and fought against her.

The truth was, Mateo didn’t know what to expect when he finally sneaked across Avalor’s borders, only that Shuriki was still in power and that things wouldn’t exactly be in his favor. He didn’t know if his friends were still alive, if his people were as scared and helpless as they were before, if there would be any hope in fixing the world. He was prepared for anything, whether it be a fight or the news of his dead friends. 

Mateo had camped out in the woods of Avalor, fighting the instinct of his old self to run out and ask questions, demand where Elena and her family was, where his friends were. He even fought the urge to go back to his own home to see if his mother was safe. He couldn’t take the risk.

He had the advantage at the moment. Shuriki had no idea that he was alive, that there was magic right underneath her nose that could end her. When he crept out of his camp in disguise to collect information, he made sure that his sword was more handy than his tamborita. There was no room for mistakes in this world. He’d learned that early on.

But in the end, the impulsive part of Mateo’s youth had burst forward from an old, almost forgotten place inside of him when he saw  _ her _ .

She was fighting, throwing tiny balls of sparks and sporadic booms from the pockets of her dress at the soldiers who threw spears and swung swords at her. She wielded her own weapons, sharp knives that she chucked at the men who came too close. Mateo didn’t recognize her from far away, but he was attracted to the sounds of yells and crackling explosives. 

He sneaked closer, pulling his hood up over his face as he crept through a cramped alleyway. Her back was to him, but Mateo could still track her movements with ease. The girl sunk her knife into a man’s shoulder, leaving it there as she used her now free hand to dip into her pocket and chuck marbles into the faces of an approaching group of soldiers. The marbles burst in colorful sparks, and the men fell, screaming and clutching their eyes. In the split second that it took for the next mob of men to charge towards her, she bent down to remove her knife from her fallen opponent. He let out a yell of pain that rivaled his initial before she threw both her knives into the thighs of two other men. 

They threw obscenities and threats as she continued to fight, giving them responses through grunts and ducks that narrowly protected her from the sharp spears and swords. She was a strong fighter, swift in her steps and elegant in her movements. But Mateo could tell that she was getting tired, and that even though she was good, there was no way she could keep up with the amount of men that were charging towards her.

One of the many things that Mateo had learned over the past six years was that he had to choose his fights. He had always tried to be cautious, ever since he was a child, but there were always times when his confidence and adrenaline had gotten him in trouble. And in the lonely world outside of Avalor’s borders, those times proved to be especially damning. 

At the beginning of his journey back to Avalor, Mateo’s abilities were far less than what he wished them to be, especially with no magic to help him. It took numerous instances of being stolen from, knocked out, and nearly killed before he finally understood that if he was going to survive in a world by himself without magic and without resources, he would have to be completely inconspicuous. That meant turning a blind eye to those being taken advantage of, ignoring the crimes that hurt unsuspecting people and silently walking away from slavers who carried lives in their chains. 

He hated it. But what could he do? He was no help to anyone dead or enslaved himself. His best bet at helping Avalor and bringing peace to the world was getting back as soon as possible. And he did, but Mateo’s time staying inconspicuous wasn’t over yet, especially being so close to Shuriki and her eyes. While it was true that his sword wielding and combat skills had grown from nonexistent to perhaps the level of Avalorian guards, there was no way that he could help the girl fend off the crowds of soldiers that surrounded her, not without magic. 

So Mateo watched as she began to back away, her knives now being used to slash away the men’s blades. The sound of metal meeting metal pierced through the night, followed by hisses and grunts. She had long since ran out of those small explosives, and from what he could see in her stance, she was getting desperate. Finally, the grating of blades sounded one last time before her knives flew from her hands. They clanged onto the stone several feet away, glinting regretfully in the moonlight. 

One of the men lifted his leg and kicked her backwards, and she fell to the ground, her head hitting hard. The soldiers laughed as they pointed their swords at her.

“It’s over,  _ chica _ . You’re lucky Queen Shuriki wants you for herself or you’d be dead by now,” sneered the man who had kicked her. The girl rose herself onto her elbows, and the men shook their blades at her in warning.

“She’s no queen,” the girl spit out, and Mateo’s ears perked up.  _ That voice. _ It has to be-

“And I suppose  _ you  _ are?”

“No,” she said, and Mateo could just imagine her eyes narrowing. “ _ I’m a princess _ .” 

“Not anymore,  _ chica _ .”

With that, a blast of magic knocked over the man taunting her. Mateo looked at his hands, almost surprised to see his tamborita clutched within them. He felt the tingle of the clap in his palm and the memory of his lips being used to whisper the spell, but Mateo couldn’t remember making the choice to do so. 

And it was too late to turn back now. Shuriki would find out that there was a wizard in Avalor whether or not he stepped out of the shadows to help. So he did, pointing his tamborita and shouting spells to the soldiers as he ran towards the crowd. One by one, two by two, the men dropped to the ground, not even knowing what hit them. 

From the corner of his eye, Mateo could see the girl -  _ Elena  _ \- rising up, grabbing her knives from the ground and taking down the men that he hadn’t been able to catch. It only took a couple of minutes before they were side by side, him casting spells and her slicing through her opponents. Together, they fought, and it couldn’t have felt more right in his heart. 

Finally, Mateo clapped his tamborita one last time before dropping his hands to his side, breaths deep and heavy. He tucked the tamborita under his robes, opening his mouth to say something,  _ anything _ , but he couldn’t. He had six years to prepare for this moment, and not one word fell from his lips.

“Who are you?” she demanded, turning towards him. His hood still obscured his face in shadows as she began to back him up into an alleyway. “How do you have a tamborita?”

Her face was twisted in suspicion, eyebrows furrowed and knives raised in precaution. 

This was definitely Elena.

Mateo paused his steps. He didn’t blame her for the threat of her blades, even though he had just saved her from Shuriki’s men. He had no idea what she had been through these past six years, and he knew that he would have had the same reaction to any strange man showing up with a magic that should have been impossible in Avalor.

But it still sent pangs into his heart. Elena hadn’t changed much, physically at least. Her hair was still a long and curly brown, tied up in a ponytail with thick strands framing her face. It looked soft in the moonlight, if not a little rattled from the fight. Her cheeks were hollowed out, though, giving way to sharper angles, her face worn away into a distrust and fierceness by years of whatever Shuriki had put her through. Her knives were new, too. 

But her eyes, though layered with warning now, were still a chocolate brown, glowing and bright after all this time. She was Elena, Princess of Avalor, and she was  _ here _ , right in front of him. And despite everything, the Shuriki and the war and six years of suffering, Mateo could only feel relief. As if all their problems had been solved the moment he met her eyes.

Slowly, Mateo raised his hands and pushed back his hood, letting it drop against his shoulder blades. Elena lowered her knives, quietly slipping them away into the folds of her dress. He watched as her expression changed to confusion, then surprise, then hopeful, then disbelief, then to a mix of all four and more. She suddenly stepped backwards, hitting the wall behind her as her lips parted and her breath sharpened, eyes widened and quickly becoming shiny. They roamed all around his face, taking him in in all sincerity. Mateo could practically feel the energy from her as her thoughts fired back and forth in her mind.

Finally, she drew a deep breath, and his name fell from her lips. 

And his world nearly melted away.

\---♛---

It had been a long time since Elena had slept so soundly. She hadn’t had such a deep and peaceful sleep since the day that Shuriki invaded Avalor again, but by the time she woke up, her heart was beating wildly in her chest in wild panic.

“Mateo?” she called out, sitting up. He wasn’t lying beside her, and it was odd to think that she missed his warmth. 

“I’m out here,” he responded. Elena stood up and stepped out of the tent, happy to see Mateo sitting on the fallen tree. “Good morning,  _ princesa _ .”

She lowered herself down to sit next to him, a smile playing at her lips. “Since when did you call me  _ princesa _ ?”

“Last night you seemed so adamant in the fact that you’re a princess. Quite the show, wasn’t it?” Mateo teasingly smiled at her as he raised his voice into falsetto. “ _ No, I’m a princess. _ ”

Elena snorted and bumped her shoulder into his. “Right.”

He offered her breakfast: fish that he had caught and dried days ago. She nodded and watched as he bent to reach into his pack, wincing on the way. Instinctively, she placed her hand on his shoulder, shifting her body to face his. 

“Are you okay?” she asked, eyes meeting his. “We should change your bandages.”

“I’m fine, Elena, honestly. I’ve had worse wounds than this,” Mateo said, placing his hand over hers. “And I already changed my bandages this morning.”

“Oh.”

“Disappointed you’re not getting me shirtless again?” he asked, a mischievous half smile spreading across his lips.

_ Yes. _

“No,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes as she turned back to her original position. A hint of a blush began to form on her cheeks. She paused before speaking again. “You’re different, you know that?”

Mateo handed her the dried fish wrapped in a swatch of white cloth, brushing her fingers on the way. He sighed. “I know, Elena. I wish that I hadn’t needed to change, but to survive out there… I had to become someone more than just the boy wizard that you knew. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“No,” came Elena’s soft voice. She shook her head. “I mean, yes, it’s a little weird, but I get it. These years have changed us in Avalor, too. I understand. And no matter what you’ve gone through, you can talk to me. I’m here for you.”

“Of course you are. You’ve always been,” Mateo said, giving her a genuine smile. “And I’ll always be here for you. That much hasn’t changed.”

Elena met his eyes again, offering a small tilt of her lips. She hesitated only a moment before she started leaning forward, leaving him a gentle kiss on his cheek. 

“I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered as she sat back again. “It’s not the same without you around here. We’ve been working so hard, but we’ve always known that we couldn’t defeat Shuriki without you by our sides. Now that you are, we can finish this once and for all.”

Elena froze in her spot.

_ We. _

The reason that she had woken up in such a panic. She never met Gabe and Esteban at their rendezvous spot last night. They must be worried out of their minds, all of them. Isa… oh, Isa. Elena could only imagine what she was going through.

“We have to go, Mateo,” Elena said, abruptly standing up and looking at the sun in the sky. “It’s almost noon. I’ve been gone for more than twelve  _ hours _ . They must be frantic by now.”

Mateo nodded, meeting her eyes in understanding before standing up himself to pack his belongings. “Of course. We’ll leave as soon as possible.”

In the most selfish parts of Elena, she didn’t want this pocket of time to end, this moment alone with Mateo with no rebellion to lead, no Shuruki to fight, no blood to shed. But one of the most important things that Elena had learned in her life is that time is precious, that wasting it is one of the biggest mistakes a leader could make.

She quickly scarfed down the fish as she took quick steps towards the stream. She was finished by the time she got there, where she washed her face and took several gulps of water. 

“Are you ready?” Elena asked once she got back. Mateo had made quick work, snuffing out the fire and swinging his filled pack around his back. His sword hung from his waist again, but his tamborita was out of sight. He nodded as she got closer. 

“Let’s go home, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOL OKAYY @ 17 YEAR OLD ME THAT WAS LITTLE RISQUEEEE WASN'T IT??? also mateo POV man i love this kid so much
> 
> i gotta say this dialogue is very cringey but still fun to read. 17 year old me never talked to a boy romantically and never kissed anyone and honestly this was the peak of my romantic frustration. lowkey wish i could go back to never having experienced all that because it's kinda harder to romanticize the romantics now lolol


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we meet the others!! i loved them all aged up. also esteban doesn't have his whole deal (which i'm not really sure is even about because i didn't watch the last half of the show), so in my mind he was just good because he wanted to redeem himself to his family. we get more into the plot now and the last of what 17 year old me wrote.

Mateo and Elena snuck through the outskirts of Avalor, careful to quickly duck into alleyways and round sharp corners at any sign of footsteps. Mateo had his face hidden with the hood of his robe, and Elena had produced a shawl from the folds of her dress, which she used to drape over her hair. It was hard to tell who was friend or foe, even in the bright light of the sun, and there was no room for unnecessary risks. 

“Here,” Elena said after a few more turns, stopping herself in front of an abandoned church. 

The whole street was empty, filled with dilapidated buildings overgrown with moss and ivy. The road itself was damaged, and grass grew freely between the cracks. The church sat in the middle of the street, pale and sad in the blaring sun. It looked as if no one had been there in years.

“We’ve been hiding out anywhere we could,” Elena explained. “Shuriki has a huge bounty on all of our heads, and she’s threatened to kill any civilian who dares to help us. We can’t have that hanging over anyone. Instead, we have a whole bunch of these shelters and hideouts around Avalor, in the forest or in abandoned places like these. We have a few safe spots in people’s homes, but those are more last choice options. Otherwise, we just alternate between our shelters to throw off our scent.” 

Mateo let out a sarcastic scoff. “Shuriki’s sure made it easy for you these past six years.”

Elena walked up the steps to the church, careful to avoid the holes and flimsy blocks of brick that threatened to fall through at any moment. Mateo quietly followed, stepping exactly where she had, just to be safe. Once she got to the door, she raised her hand and rapped her knuckles in a series of patterned knocks. It took a minute, but Mateo finally heard a loud click behind the wooden door. It creaked open, and Elena quietly slipped in, Mateo following close behind as the door shut closed again.

The inside of the church was exactly what Mateo expected it to look like. Particles of dust densely hung in the stale air, illuminated by the light seeping in through the stained glass windows. The wooden pews, once polished and sturdy, had become rotten and unstable, some sinking close to the floor. A thick coat of grime lined everything, and Mateo could smell just how long it had been since someone had cleaned the place. His eyes swept through his surroundings once again before he noticed something off. 

“Who opened the door for us?” he asked, looking back. The church was empty besides Elena and him.

Elena grinned and placed a hand on his arm, sending tingles through his body despite the fact that his sleeves prevented direct contact. He ignored it while she tugged him back to the door, pointing to the large contraption covering the whole span of the wood. Countless gears were connected with thin leather belts, carefully wired with gray boxes and a thick plank of metal. The machine was covered in a rusty brown, the pieces looking like they came from various sources. Still, it looked to be the newest thing in the whole church.

“Isa invented this lock that recognizes certain patterns of knocks. It opens when it senses the correct patterns and initiates a deadlock if someone tries to break in. She made one for every one of our hideouts, at least the ones that have doors,” Elena explained, beaming with pride. 

“She was always so smart,” Mateo said, smiling down at her. “I can’t imagine what she’s like now.”

“She’s amazing. She invents all these brilliant things to help all of us. She was the one who made those explosives from last night,” Elena paused before looking down at the ground. “Isa could’ve done so much more by now if Shuriki hadn’t taken over.”

“Hey,” Mateo murmured, using his finger to lift up her chin. As she looked into his eyes, a burning  _ something _ shot through his stomach. “We’ll take Shuriki down. She’ll be history soon enough, and Isa will do even more amazing things. The world needs so much fixing right now, and I know so well that she’ll use her brilliance to solve so many problems. She’ll have her chance to fulfill her endless potential. You and I both know that.”

Elena smiled, and Mateo realized just how close they were to each other, how they were almost breathing in each other’s air. She was so beautiful, even more so than he remembered. At this distance, he could count all the tiny hairs of her eyelashes and travel through the tiny ridges in her skin. There was a faint scar on her cheek that he hadn’t noticed before, and he suddenly wanted to end the person who had given her it. 

Mateo’s eyes began to drift down to her parted lips. Were they getting closer to each other? Was he leaning in? Was  _ she  _ leaning in? 

“Elena!” someone exclaimed, making the both of them jump in surprise. “You’re here!” 

Mateo turned around, watching as…  _ was that Gabe? _ … ran over to them, a look of relief flooding his face. But when he locked eyes with Mateo, his smile melted away into a hardened defense. Gabe’s hand immediately went to the sword hanging from his waist.

“Who’s this?” Gabe asked, looking over to Elena. He gripped the hilt of his sword, ready to unsheath it if Mateo, still hidden under the shadows of his hood, proved to be hostile.

At the basic level, Gabe didn’t look much different from six years ago. He still had the same tall stance and broad shoulders, if not broader and taller now, the same brown hair that seemed to defy gravity, same sharp and angular face structure that girls went crazy for. But it was the lack of youthful glow that threw Mateo off, the dark shadow of a growing beard that starkly contrasted his normally clean shaven face. His thick eyebrows furrowed into a frown, illuminating the worries and stresses that he had faced under Shuriki’s new reign.

“Gabe, it’s okay,” Elena assured, moving to give the man a hug. “I’m okay.”

Gabe returned the embrace, letting go of his sword to do so, and Mateo shot down the odd feeling of jealousy at this sight. What was wrong with him?

“Where were you? We were all so worried. We thought Shuriki had captured you,” Gabe said, beginning to relax his face.

Elena stepped back and turned back to Mateo, her face odd and unsure. She took a deep breath before opening her mouth. “I got caught up with an old friend. ”

At Gabe’s questioning eyebrows, Mateo lifted the hood away from his face, standing still in his position.

“Hi, Gabe,” he said, a sheepish smile forming on his lips. 

It took a minute for Gabe to process the face in front of him, to recognize the parts of Mateo that stemmed from the seventeen year old boy he once knew. But once the emotions filed through and he finally let himself understand that Mateo was alive, standing right in front of him, he burst forwards to grab him in a crushing hug. 

“It’s a miracle,” Gabe stated, unable to let go as Mateo laughed. “How?”

“I’ll explain when we tell the others,” Mateo said, still crushed by Gabe’s embrace. “But can you let go? I can’t breathe.”

“Right. I wouldn’t want to kill you right after you came back to life.” Gabe laughed and stepped back, running his hand through his hair. “Come on down. Everyone’s been waiting for news about Elena.”

Gabe led them to the front of the church, where a small arch gave way to a descending flight of stone steps. They quickly climbed down, and as they reached the bottom, Mateo watched as Gabe unlocked a dark wooden door. 

“That was quick,” a familiar voice said from inside. It had to be Esteban.

“That’s because I found her,” Gabe responded, grinning widely before stepping in.

There were a few shouts of her name as Elena walked in, Mateo close behind. Flashes of blonde, brown, and gray hair embraced her in hugs as they chorused the fact that they were worried sick and had feared the worst. Elena assured them that she was fine, and that she had a good explanation for the past twelve hours. 

“Mateo came back,” she announced. “He’s alive.” 

Slowly, their heads turned to him, still standing in the doorway. He saw Naomi, whose hair was still a short blonde and eyes a brilliant blue but was visibly older and slightly taller. He saw Esteban, whose hair was riddled with more prominent gray streaks but still stood tall and sported the same facial hair. He saw who he assumed to be Isabel, so much taller and so much older. She looked so much like Elena when she was her age, save for the slight differences in facial structure and height. Her hairstyle was still the same, however, with a bright blue ribbon pulling back the dark strands from her eyes.

“It can’t be,” Esteban said, stepping forwards to get a better look. “Elena said that Shuriki killed you that day. From what she described, we thought it was the same spell that killed our  _ abuelos _ . How did you survive that?”

“Wait,” Mateo responded, raising his palms up. “Francisco and Luisa are dead?”

The group nodded, solemn looks passing over their faces. He frowned and placed his hands on his hips. He had just assumed that they survived when he found out that his other friends were alive. 

“Shuriki took their lives the same day she took the kingdom,” Gabe spoke up, his voice quiet and deep. “They were with Isabel and me on the balcony when Shuriki arrived. They told us to run first before we saw her cast the spell. We couldn’t do anything.”

“It’s no one’s fault but Shuriki’s,” Elena said, her fists clenched at her waist. “We’ve been over this whole survivor’s guilt thing too many times. There’s no use for it. If we want to make things right, we have to take back the throne.”

“Elena’s right,” Naomi piped in, crossing her arms. “No use blaming ourselves for someone else’s actions. What I am interested in, though, is how  _ you  _ survived Shuriki’s spell and where you’ve been since then.”

Mateo gave them a weak smile, moving a hand up to run his fingers through his hair. “We’ll have to sit down for this.”

\---♛---

The room was silent as Mateo finished his story, taking in his words and turning them over in their heads. From Princess Sofia’s letter, they already knew that there was a war going on outside of Avalor, but they hadn’t realized the extent of it. 

“It has to be the Scepter of Night,” Isabel spoke up, resting her chin in her hand. “From what we’ve learned, it causes chaos and destruction. I’m sure there must be a way for it to muddle the kings and queens with darkness and anger so they can’t fully recognize their actions. And I’m sure it’s powerful enough for a full blown war to be waged across the whole world.”

Isabel was sitting on a metal stool, her elbows supporting her body as she leaned over a long board of wood that served as a table. The top was scattered with various nuts and bolts, tools and scraps of material. Several work-in-progress contraptions sat at the other end, along with a pair of safety goggles and gloves. This part of the basement was apparently her workshop, only a few feet away from the round table that the rest of the group sat around. 

“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Elena agreed. “And right now, the only way to counteract the powers of the Scepter of Night is the Scepter of Light.”

“Which Shuriki has locked away,” Esteban said, groaning and pinching his nose. “We’re back at square one. She’s too powerful with that scepter. We’re wasting our time here. Like I’ve been saying for the past six years, we should leave, go find help in the outside world. We can raise our own army, find a ruler that hasn’t been affected by the Scepter of Night. We’re not achieving anything with these petty distractions.”

“We can’t just abandon Avalor,” Naomi shot back. “The rebellion needs its leaders or else it’ll fall apart.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that-”

“And we  _ are  _ achieving things,” she continued, cutting him off. “With Elena’s distraction last night, we were able to free the people that Shuriki had lined up for execution. We stole a shipment of her army’s supplies and dispersed them to the families most affected by her rule. We’re fueling more and more dissent, until even the ones that she’s won over will turn against her. We’re getting closer.” 

Esteban sighed again, his frustration written all over his face. “It’s been six years, and we still haven’t brought her down.”

“So leave!” Naomi said. “ _ You _ go raise your army and find your precious rulers. No one’s stopping you.”

Esteban scowled deeply before sitting back, silently fuming as he crossed his arms.

“That’s what I thought.”

The rest of the table stayed quiet, looking away in the uncomfortable silence. Was it just in Mateo’s mind, or was there more tension between Esteban and Naomi than he remembered? He had the feeling that he was missing something. 

“Do you guys know where Shuriki is keeping the Scepter of Light?” he finally asked, cutting through the tense lull in conversation. 

Elena shook her head. “She keeps her castle in a tight lockdown at all times. No one comes in and out without her say. She threatens any sign of dissent with execution, or execution of their family. All the guards are too afraid, and some are truly loyal to her. We also think many of her people might be under control by her magic.”

“The Scepter of Night can do that?”

“We don’t know the extent of its power. We didn’t even know the extent of the Scepter of Light’s powers,” she answered, a frown forming rivets in her forehead. “We do know that she also has a new wand.”

“We’re no match against magic, especially magic that we don’t understand,” Gabe muttered, forming tight balls with his fists.

Mateo looked at the anxious faces of his friends. He could tell that their determination was strong, but he could also see the creeping edges of hopelessness beginning to consume them. He had seen it happening in himself plenty of times before. But now? He was more determined than ever. Because he made it  _ this far _ . And he had Elena and all his friends by his side now. 

“We can do this,” Mateo said, straightening his back. “Look, guys. I didn’t make it to hell and back just to give up. If there’s anyone in the world that can take down Shuriki, it’s us. If we don’t do it, no one will.”

“We know, Mateo. That’s what’s been keeping us together and going all these years,” Esteban responded, frowning. “I just question our ways of doing so.”

“We do have to improve our tactics,” Mateo agreed, furrowing his eyebrows together. “Guerilla warfare works, but it seems you guys have been doing so at a standstill for a while now. It’s not getting worse, but it’s not getting better.”

“Do you propose we take Esteban’s plan into consideration then?” Naomi protested, her voice condescending and indignant.

“No,” Mateo answered. “There’s too much to lose there. We have a good spot right at Shuriki’s doorstep. We can’t give that up.”

His eyes wandered over to Isabel, who was absentmindedly fiddling with a bolt. “Isa, you made those explosives that Elena was using last night, right?”

The girl perked up then, nodding in pride. “Yes, but we don’t have many left. We have to make a run to snag gunpowder soon.”

“What other inventions have you been working on?” Mateo continued to ask. “We can tweak them to add magic. When I was traveling through the Ever Realm there were these mechanical weapons that were weaved with magic in mind. They were dangerous and powerful, and they’re perfect for going against Shuriki.”

Isabel nodded, raising a hand to her chin in thought. “I’ve been working on a few blueprints for magical weapons, but they’re just beginnings of ideas, really. I never finished them because there were no sources of magic for us to use in the first place. But now that you’re back and you’ve got your tamborita, that’s definitely on the table!”

“Why don’t you stay here Mateo and work on those ideas with Isabel, then?” Elena suggested, standing up. “The rest of us will make our rounds meeting with other members of the revolution.”

Mateo met Elena’s gaze. He just got her back, and he was reluctant to let her go, even if it were just for a few hours. He had a new instinct in his gut that refused to let her out of his sight, and Mateo could see a glint in her eyes that shared the same sentiment. He knew that there was something different between him and Elena, something that was barely there six years ago and had begun to bloom throughout the twelve hours he had been back. And he didn’t know what to make of it.

“Be safe,” Mateo whispered, a plea more than anything. Elena nodded once in understanding before her skirts swooped up the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay! 21 year old me wrote the last few paragraphs because 17 year old me got stuck there and just never picked it back up again. and did we pick up the suggestion that naomi and esteban were kinda a thing?? bc i did and idk how i feel about that now that i'm older and feel weirder about age differences in relationships but we'll see how it goes lol. 
> 
> now, idk if i'll be good finishing this fic because i gotta be honest i'm a bit mentally ill and will be swamped with school very soon and posting this gave me a little bit of joy that isn't sustainable at all a ha ha. but i'm excited to put this into the world even if this fandom might? be? dead? just because i remember how fun it was to write this. i hope i'll do you good, 17 year old me.


End file.
